Hya Bam
Minmatar
Deep Space Construction
United Freemen Alliance
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Posted - 2009.01.27 14:06:00 -
[1]
Edited by: Hya Bam on 27/01/2009 14:10:49
 Originally by: Kaeldjin Zendergrim
Edited by: Kaeldjin Zendergrim on 27/01/2009 13:15:16
Problem I see
Timer and mass limits seems a bit bulky features as is, and redundant... like other posters hinted (clansworth's stability idea for instance), there are more elegant possibilities to jugulate the flow/output of a (unstable) wormhole.
Possible workaround/solution
Along both the initial design idea and abit of pseudo-science : we could assume an unstable wormhole is failing/crushing on itself (aka degrading with time on its own). 
In "game" terms : instability (in kg/s), a measure of initial allowed mass declining with each (time) tick passing.
Thus, since the wormhole constantly decay, your window of opportunity for leaving the W-System through that same entrance is slowly pouring down as long as you stay in (risk vs reward anyone?)... Truly I like how "being pushed by clock" boosts on the already existing rush of adrenaline of unknown space (wrong decision making, pressure, hastiness... ).
Final estimated countdown available on close inspection or probing (or whatever new skill will yield intricate knowledge of wormhole stuffs to our characters), calculations made by onboard comp.
Foreseen advantages
No more stranded wormholes with big timer left and too-low mass to be "usable" (by anything barring a couple pods  ).
You could even try to haste its closing down by jumping in and out (like confirmed by devs, that "mechanic" not changing), or just watch/guard it as goes off naturally.
More "urgency" between the discovery/exploration and the "proper" use of it.
Spying mini-game
As a natural process the decay is predictable, thus allowing people to check from time to time if anything went through since last check (decay hopping down for those who'll notice).
An indication of mass that went trough could be then manually done for those willing to.
I'm not sure if devs answered or hinted about cloaked ships going through worm-travel and staying cloaked, or about post-travel auto-cloak, or even visual clue of a "jump" (sip-in?) for that matter.
Optional fireworks
The final "shutdown" of a wormhole could even be potentially harmful (both sides? last entry-point? last exit-point?)... something similat to a bomb? ...or when instability means instability (like any kiddo playing with the fabric of the universe would know very well by now  ).
The bigger the initial mass, the more dangerous the final showdown to bypassers. Yeah I must admit, boom after a countdown is neat. 
First of all, I love the idea of wormhole exploration and completely unknown space. I'll even go so far as to admit that Voyager was my favorite Star Trek series for precisely that reason. I can't wait!
Now, to the quote. I totally agree that having a decaying mass makes more sense than a mass limit + timer. It also means that you have to chose between a "light" op with more time to play, versus a "heavy" op with strict time constraints (or a 1 way ticket!)
Also, it should be allowable to exceed the mass limit of the wormhole at risking a cataclysmic collapse that could severely damage and/or destroy the ship and/or pod of the pilot that collapsed it, depending on how much mass was exceeded. Fireworks!
This also would provide a discouragement to people entering/exiting to purposely collapse the wormhole, as, if they don't take into consideration the decaying mass limit properly, it'll be a pretty big "OOPS", and a "pretty" oops for any observers, hehehe.
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